Staff Senate

These Simple Steps Can Help Your Family Maintain a Healthy Weight

Category: HRSTM

Published: May 3 2012 12:00AM

Choose a different tip each week for you and your family to try. See if your family can add to the list. Here are a few suggestions:

<li> Walk whenever possible. <li> Walk instead of drive whenever you can. <li> Walk your children to school. <li> Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. <li> Take a family walk after dinner and take the dog. <li> Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching TV. <li> Get off the bus a stop early and walk the rest of the way. <li> Park farther from the store and walk. <li> Make a Saturday morning walk a family habit. <li> Walk briskly in the mall. <li>Move more in your home. <li> Garden or make home repairs. <li> Do yard work. Get your children to help rake, weed, or plant. <li> Work around the house. Ask your children to help with active chores. <li> Wash the car by hand. <li> Live actively. <li> Join a family exercise group, and/or enroll your children in community sports teams or lessons. <li> Do sit-ups in front of the TV. Have a sit-up competition with your kids. <li> Pace the sidelines at kids' athletic games. <li> Choose an activity that fits into daily life. <li> Dance to music, swim...with your kids. <li> Give yourself a gold star with non-food rewards, such as day at the park, lake, or zoo. <li> Buy a set of hand weights and play a round of Simon Says with your kids-you do it with the weights, they do it without.

To learn more or to speak with a FSAP professional, call 1-800-935-9551. The FSAP is a voluntary, confidential assistance program available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, at no cost to employees.